The 12 Scottish food firms getting help to make their products healthier
“Reformulating products to make them delicious, nutritious and safe can be very resource and time heavy” – Joanne Burns, FDF Scotland
A dozen Scottish food businesses are to receive funding to make their products healthier.
Industry body Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Scotland said the businesses would be given the funding through its “reformulation for health programme”. Each firm will receive up to £5,000 to support projects aimed at improving the nutritional profile of its products.
The successful recipients are Aldomak, the Bread Guys Bakery, David Comrie & Son, Ingram Brothers, Jess Fine Foods, Kinnaird Kitchen, Rowan Glen, Shaws Fine Meats, Slow Sauce, Strathmore Foods, Taylors Snacks and the Victor Pizza Co.
Funded projects include reformulating a wide range of foods - from pizza, macaroni cheese, sausages, burgers and meat pies to cakes, crisps and oat bars. Many of these products are sold across retail, hospitality and public sector settings, including schools.
The latest round of funding is delivered through the reformulation for health programme and funded by Food Standards Scotland (FSS). It focuses on supporting businesses to improve the nutritional profile of products made and sold in Scotland by reducing their nutrient profile model (NPM) score - helping businesses to prepare for upcoming high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) regulations.
Joanne Burns, reformulation for health manager, FDF Scotland, said: “Reformulating products to make them delicious, nutritious and safe can be very resource and time heavy. The reformulation for health programme offers one-to-one support to help businesses navigate these challenges and develop healthier versions of commonly consumed products that can improve the health of Scotland’s people.
“This funding will assist businesses with the associated costs of reformulation, including nutritional testing, trialling recipes, process changes and technical support.
“The successful projects reflect a range of business drivers,” she added. “Some are looking to improve their NPM score to meet non-HFSS criteria, while others aim to achieve salt reduction targets or respond to retailer and consumer demand for healthier products.
“We look forward to supporting these projects and sharing their achievements in the coming months.”
The NPM measures the overall nutritional balance of a product by weighing factors such as saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories against beneficial elements like fibre, fruit, vegetables and protein. It is used to determine whether a product is classified as HFSS or not.
Laura Wilson, head of public health nutrition at FSS, said: “Ensuring everyone has access to healthier, more affordable food has never been more vital to improving public health. To achieve that, we need to focus on improving the food environment that surrounds us and shapes what we eat to put healthier food in reach of everyone.
“Improving the nutritional content of products means that everyone can benefit, without the need for consciously making different choices.”
Public health minister Maree Todd added: “The reformulation challenge fund is helping to accelerate progress by food and drink manufacturers to reduce levels of fat, sugar and salt in their products.
“Their support to businesses across Scotland is a vital step towards helping people access healthier food choices. I look forward to seeing the impact of these projects in the months ahead and the positive impact they will have on improving diets.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.